Production Manager, Puffin in London

Great books rely on brilliant production. We have a new opportunity for an experienced Production Manager to join our Puffin team on a permanent basis and help to bring them to life.

The team is the largest global children’s publisher, home to some of the most iconic characters, authors and illustrators alongside dazzling new talent. We believe the right book can inspire a child to feel they can be and do anything.

You’ll be joining a collaborative team where you’ll work closely with colleagues across the business and play an important part in delivering high-quality books, solving production challenges and helping shape how we work.

The role is a collaborative and varied one where you’ll work closely with colleagues across our Editorial, Design, Sales, Inventory and Finance teams, as well as our external suppliers. You’ll use your sound commercial judgement and production expertise to find practical solutions to manufacturing, costing and scheduling challenges, whilst looking for opportunities to improve the way we work and drive positive change. Building strong supplier relationships will be an important part of the role. You’ll influence and negotiate with external partners, balancing quality, cost and schedules to ensure our books and associated formats are delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard. You’ll also play an important role in supporting and managing members of the team, creating an environment where people can successfully develop, contribute and do their best work. From managing the production of books to working on custom products, you’ll bring a keen eye for detail alongside ideas, solutions and a collaborative approach — partnering with our creative teams to turn their ambitions into beautifully produced books.

Key responsibilities:

• Have a confident understanding of the needs and goals of your Production team and use this to inform your decision-making with high commercial awareness.
• Take a proactive role in shaping how we work by evaluating, critiquing, improving, and communicating our processes and best practices.
• Be authoritative and influential, serving as an ambassador and point of contact for the team.
• Provide trusted production advice and support to other departments.
• Develop and communicate a proactive and collaborative production approach, partnering with Editorial, Design, and Sales to drive innovation and growth.
• Demonstrate market and commercial awareness, showing a strong understanding of business needs and how the team can best support the Children’s Publishing Division.
• Take initiative and lead on ad-hoc projects and tasks outside of the usual Trade and Non-Trade production cycles.
• Approach production solutions creatively and innovatively, contributing to the department’s strategic initiatives and process improvements.
• Contribute to a calm, constructive, and mature atmosphere in the team, being a positive influence within the department and the broader company.
• Be confident in your understanding of production processes, systems, terminology, and the broader company and industry.
• Guide, advise, and formally train junior team members.

What you will bring

Essential criteria:

• Experience of children’s book production.
• Experience of colour and mono book production.
• Experience of mentoring, training or managing a team.
• Experience of managing a varied workload with a track record of successfully delivering to deadlines while meeting the expectations of multiple stakeholders.
• Great communication and negotiating skills, adept at building and maintaining relationships.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of CE Testing.
• Experience of novelty and co-edition production.
• Experience with Biblio.

Application instructions:

Please apply with your CV and Cover Letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 23:59 Sunday 4th October 2026. Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages in length. We anticipate that this recruitment will include a 2-stage interview process, taking place in person at our Embassy Gardens office. We are looking for the successful candidate to join the team in December 2026.

Salary: The salary band for this opportunity is 45,000-50,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

Hybrid working: This role is offered with hybrid working, with 3 days per week required in the office (during probation), reducing to 2 days per week after probation.